A Charlotte attorney who has been heavily involved in the city’s chamber of commerce is the choice of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s to head the board of North Carolina’s private economic development arm, an effort Cooper said on Monday that he supported.
“I want us to be more coordinated. I think the creation of the Economic Development Partnership was rocky, and it took too long for the partnership and the Department of Commerce and the governor’s office to work together,” Cooper said at an event in Charlotte, according to the Charlotte Observer.
Cooper’s office said the governor introduced Frank Emory as the next chairman of the 17-member Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina at a Charlotte event. Emory succeeds John Lassiter, a close ally of then-Republican Gov. Pat McCrory who resigned at the end of April.
Emory is a partner in the Hunton & Williams law firm and served in several Charlotte Chamber leadership positions. On a board currently dominated by Republican appointees, Emory will be Cooper’s voice on the partnership, which is under contract with the state to recruit companies, promote tourism and perform other duties.
